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WriteAPrisoner.com has compiled all of its
information on United States' Prison Statics in this section. Here you
will find incarceration data gathered from a variety of government
entities and other credible sources. Regardless of your position in
respect to crime and punishment in the United States, one thing is
certain: U.S. incarceration statistics are staggering. Please use
the links below to easily navigate this section of our site.

• At yearend 2005, 36 States and the Federal prison system held 3,254
prisoners under sentence of death, 66 fewer than at yearend 2004. This
represents the fifth consecutive year that the population has decreased.
• Of those under sentence of death, 56% were white, 42% were black, and
2% were of other races.
• Fifty-two women were under sentence of death in 2005, up from 47 in
1995.

Capital Punishment, 2004

• At yearend 2004, 36 States and the Federal prison system held 3,314
prisoners under sentence of death, 63 fewer than at yearend 2003.
• Of those under sentence of death, 56% were white, 42% were black, and
2% were of other races.
• Fifty-two women were under sentence of death in 2004, up from 43 in
1994.

Capital Punishment, 2003

• At yearend 2003, 37 States and the Federal prison system held 3,374
prisoners under sentence of death, 188 fewer than at yearend 2002.
• Of those under sentence of death, 56% were white 42% were black, and
2% were of other races.
• Forty-seven women were under sentence of death in 2003, up from 38 in
1993.

Capital Punishment 2002

• Of the 6,912 people under sentence of death between 1977 and 2002, 12%
were executed, 4% died by causes other than execution, and 33% received
other dispositions.
• Fifty-one women were under sentence of death in 2002, up from 36 in
1992.
• After declining for two years, the number of executions increased to
71 during 2002.

Capital Punishment 2001

• At yearend 2001, 37 States and the Federal prison system held 3,581
prisoners under sentence of death, 20 fewer than at yearend 2000
• Fifty-one women were under sentence of death in 2001, up from 36 in
1991
• Of the 6,754 people under sentence of death between 1977 and 2001, 11%
were executed, 4% died by causes other than execution, and 32% received
other dispositions.

Capital Punishment 2000

• Fourteen States executed 85 prisoners during 2000.
• At yearend the youngest death-row inmate was 18; the oldest was 85.
• Fifty-four women were under sentence of death in 2000, up from 35 in
1990

Capital Punishment 1999

• At yearend 1999, 37 States and the Federal prison system held 3,527
prisoners under sentence of death, 2% more than in 1998.
• The 325 Hispanic inmates under sentence of death accounted for 10% of
inmates with a known ethnicity.
• Fifty women were under a sentence of death in 1999, up from 35 in
1990.
• Among persons for whom arrest information was available, the average
age at time of arrest was 28; 2% of inmates were age 17 or younger. At
yearend the youngest inmate was 18; the oldest was 84.

Capital Punishment 1998

• At yearend 1998, 37 States and the Federal prison system held 3,452
prisoners under sentence of death, 4% more than in 1997.
• The 314 Hispanic inmates under sentence of death accounted for 10% of
inmates with a known ethnicity.
• Forty-eight women were under a sentence of death in 1998, up from 35
in 1990.
• Among persons for whom arrest information was available, the average
age at time of arrest was 28; 2% of inmates were age 17 or younger. At
yearend the youngest inmate was 18; the oldest was 83.

Provides a national estimate of handgun purchase applications, the
number rejected, and the reasons for rejection during the interim period
before the permanent provisions of the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention
Act went into effect. These data were collected by the Regional Justice
Information Service (REJIS) of St. Louis, Missouri and focus on the
presale handgun checks from March 1, 1994 to November 29, 1998, the
interim period. During this time, an estimated
12,740,000 applications for handgun purchases resulted in 312,000
rejections through background checks.
From January thru November 1998, about 2,384,000 background checks of
the potential handgun buyers prevented an estimated 70,000 purchases.
For all of 1998 including December 1998, the first month of the
permanent provisions of the Brady Act, the number of handgun application
rejections totaled an estimated 78,000. 6/99 NCJ 175034

Presale Handgun Checks, 1997
Provides a national estimate of handgun purchase applications, the
number rejected, and the reasons for rejection. The project, conducted
by the Regional Justice Information Service (REJIS) of St. Louis,
Missouri, is an ongoing data collection effort focusing on the presale
handgun checks in each State beginning January 1, 1996.
From March 1, 1994 to yearend 1997, an estimated 10,356,000 applications
for handgun purchases resulted in 242,000 rejections through background
checks.
During 1997 about 2,574,000 background checks of the potential handgun
buyers prevented an estimated 69,000 purchases.
The previous report, for 1996, was released in September 1997. NCJ
171130

Presale Handgun Checks, 1996: A National Estimate
Provides a national estimate of firearms purchasing applications, the
number rejected, and the reasons for rejection. The project, conducted
by the Regional Justice Information Service (REJIS) of St. Louis,
Missouri, is an ongoing data collection effort focusing on the firearms
check procedures in each State beginning January 1, 1996. The responses
from 44 States summarized in this Bulletin are being used to develop
statistics describing implementation of the Brady Handgun Violence
Prevention Act. 9/97. NCJ 165704

Background checks for firearm transfers

Federal law prohibits firearm possession by or transfer to prohibited
persons including those who are under indictment for or convicted of a
crime punishable by imprisonment for more than 1 year.
• In 2008 over 9.9 million applications for firearm transfers or permits
were subject to background checks under the Brady Act and similar state
laws.
• From the inception of the Brady Act in March 1994 through December
2008, more than 97 million applications for firearm transfers were
subject to background checks. About 1,778,000 applications were
rejected.
• Among state checking agencies in 2008, 46% of all rejections for
firearm transfers were due to a felony conviction.
• Among all agencies conducting background checks, 48% of applications
were denied due to reasons other than a felony conviction in 2008.

The Post-Release Employment Project is a long-term study designed to
evaluate the impact of FPI prison industrial work experience (alone and
in conjunction with vocational and apprenticeship training) on former
Federal inmates post-release adjustment.
After 1 year participants were
Significantly less likely to recidivate (i.e. be rearrested or have
post-confinement or community supervision revoked).
More likely to be employed during
Earned slightly higher wages (on average)

After 8 to 12 years post-confinement inmates were:
24% less likely to recidivate
14% more likely to be employed
Minority groups were benefitted more than their non-minority
counterparts.
Inmates who participated in either vocational or apprenticeship training
were 33% less likely to recidivate than those who did not participate.

Correctional Education

One study indicates that those who benefitted from correctional
education recidivated 29% less often than those who did not have
educational opportunities while in the correctional institution (Steurer,
Smith and Tracy, 2001).

Learning disabilities:
• Estimated 75-90% for juvenile offenders
• Nationally over 70% of all people entering state correctional
facilities have not completed high school
• 46% have had some high school education
• 16.4% have had no high school education at all

Prison Literacy Programs

The federal government encourages literacy skill improvement in all
entities, including prisons, that receive federal aid and at least 26
states have enacted mandatory educational requirements for certain
populations. These policies demonstrate the importance placed on efforts
to improve literacy skills.

Two-thirds of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of the
4th grade will end up in jail or on welfare. The fourth grade is the
watershed year.

Literacy statistics and juvenile court
• 85 percent of all juveniles who interface with the juvenile court
system are functionally illiterate.
• More than 60 percent of all prison inmates are functionally
illiterate.
• Penal institution records show that inmates have a 16% chance of
returning to prison if they receive literacy help, as opposed to 70% who
receive no help.
• Illiteracy and crime are closely related. The Department of Justice
states, "The link between academic failure and delinquency, violence,
and crime is welded to reading failure." Over 70% of inmates in
America's prisons cannot read above a fourth grade level.

The “war on drugs" and federal sentence guidelines have succeeded to
only one end: the quadrupling of our jail population. Between 1980 and
2000, the American prison system grew from 500,000 to 2,000,000. State
and local spending on corrections grew by 104%, while state and local
spending on higher education dropped by 21%. The construction cost of
each new cell is approximately $100,000. (That’s per cell, not per
prison!) The average cost to in an adult inmate in a Department of
Corrections’ institution is approximately $24,500 per year. The average
cost to incarcerate a juvenile offender in a Juvenile Rehabilitation
Administration is approximately $47,400 per year.

• There are currently more black men serving prison sentences than are
enrolled in colleges.
• Over 80% of inmates lose 100% contact with the outside world within
two years of their incarceration.
• The US government predicts 1 out of every 11 American men will be
incarcerated at some point in his lifetime- one in four if he is black.
• In 29 years, 1973-2002, 103 death row inmates were found innocent and
set free.
• The prison population will continue to grow. This growth is a direct
result of sentencing guidelines. The financial burden of this will
continue to be placed on taxpayers. Private companies that regard the
roughly $35 billion spend each year on corrections not as a burden on
American taxpayers, but as a lucrative market.
• Politicians, both liberal and conservative, use the fear of crime to
gain votes in a time when violent crime has actually fallen.
• Although the US comprises less than 5% of the world’s population, it
incarcerates over 25% of the world’s prisoners. Over 70% of released
inmates return to prison with 5 years of their release.
• The “Three Strikes Laws” are not working, and they’re costing the
taxpayers plenty- from $700,000 to $1,000,000 to incarcerate for life.
Some of those “third strike crimes include stealing $20, stealing a
bicycle, and running form a police officer. Less than 30% were reported
as violent crimes.

From a New York Times article by
Anthony Lewis, 12/21/99:
• One-fourth of the world's 8 million prisoners are incarcerated in U.S.
prisons. That's 2 million prisoners in the United States!
• Two-thirds of the prisoners are there for non-violent offenses.
("Chances are good that by the time they are released after sentences
that are among the longest anywhere they will be thoroughly brutalized,"
wrote Lewis.)
• Operating costs for U.S. prisons in the year 2000 - approximately $40
billion!
• One-fourth of U.S. prisoners are drug violators with non-violent
crimes who will NOT receive effective treatment in our prisons.

• No nation in the world incarcerates a higher percentage of its
population than the U.S. In the last 20 years, our prison population has
more than quadrupled.
• The U.S. government predicts one in every eleven men will be
imprisoned during his lifetime - one in every four for black men.
• The prison industry generates more than $30 billion a year.
• In 1997, on phone call profits alone, the state of New York earned
$21.2 million, California made $17.6 million, and Florida made $13.8
million. (Prisoners must call their families collect. The rates are the
highest in the nation, passed on to the poor families who are unlikely
to refuse a collect call from an incarcerated family member. These legal
kickbacks from AT&T, MCI Worldcom, etc. to the prisons are just one
small sampling of the big profits being made off of U.S. prisoners.
Prisons are big business in this country.)
• Over 80% of inmates lose 100% contact with the outside world within
two years of their incarceration.

• As of May 30, 2009 there were a total of 30,896 inmates assigned to
ADOC. 28,560 are male, 2,336 are female.
• The Alabama Dept. of Corrections operates 29 facilities within the
state. Five are considered maximum security: Holman, Kilby, St. Clair,
Donaldson and Tutwiler.
• Eleven are considered medium security, with a total of eleven Work
Release / Community Work Centers
• During Fiscal Year 2008, there were 2,649 offenders participated in 34
Community Corrections programs operating in 45 counties statewide.
• During Fiscal Year 2008, the annual cost to house an ADOC inmate was
$15,223 or $41.71 per day. According to the American Correctional
Association this is one of the lowest cost-per-day rates in the country.
• As of 8/21/2009, there are 198 males and 5 females on death row in
Alabama.
• Lethal injection is the primary method of execution in Alabama. In
2002, the passage of Senate bill 240 provides for execution of the death
sentence by lethal • injection unless the condemned person elects the
method of electrocution as described by Code of Alabama 15-18-82.1
• All Alabama prisons have a heating system, but only the prison
hospital and mental health units have air conditioning.

• ADJD operates 4 secure juvenile facilities (Safe Schools), 3 for
males, 1 for females
• 325 students tested for the GED during the ’07-’08 school year
• 283 students completed all five GED testing areas
• 203 passed the GED
• Passing rate was 72% while the state passing rate is 67%

• Colorado currently has 2 inmates on death row.
• Academic student enrollments: 5,417
• Career and Technical Education (vocational) enrollment: 8,866
• Career and Technical Education certificates awarded: 2,419
• 226 Apprenticeship Enrollments (as of August 1, 2007)
• 187 CYOPP Enrollments (for Fall 2007 semester)
• Offenders currently in DOC population who do not have a high school
diploma or GED: 9,823 (as of November 30, 2007)
• Offenders who utilize DOC Education Programs (includes Academic, CTE,
Correctional Libraries, and Apprenticeship Programs) on any given day:
approximately 6,500
• GED instruction and testing is available in all CDOC facilities.
• Last year, 6,414 individual GED tests were successfully completed in
CDOC facilities.

Recidivism
The most recent study of recidivism within the Connecticut Department of
Correction was completed in February of 2009 by the State Criminal
Justice Policy and Planning Division. The study followed 16,486
sentenced offenders for a three year period after they were released or
discharged from a prison facility in 2004.
The results substantially support the agency's Reentry Model in that
they demonstrate the effectiveness of a period of supervision in the
community prior to the end of sentence as a means of supporting
successful reintegration.

Based on a similar analysis that tracked offenders released or
discharged by the DOC in 1997, it appears that there has been a modest
decline in recidivism rate in Connecticut in recent years. Among the
1997 release cohort, 38.2 percent returned to prison for a new offense
within three years. For the 2004 release cohort, the return rate was
36.7 percent. Although the recidivism rate declined between 1997 and
2004, the total number of offenders who were released or discharged from
prison increased 265 percent during the same period.

Similarly, while the 1997 cohort showed a rate of return to prison for
offenders discharged under Transitional Supervision of 35 percent, the
2004 cohort rate was 27.4 percent. For offenders placed on parole prior
to the end of their sentence, the rate decreased from 31 percent with
the 1997 cohort to 23.4 percent with the 2004 group of offenders.

•
Delaware has 4 facilities for adults, 1 facility for women and 1
facility for juveniles.
• Delaware currently has 20 inmates on death row.
• 24,903 inmates are currently in the Delaware Department of Corrections
facility listing

Religious Services:
• Approximately 2000 inmates or 30% of the population participate in
religious services or programs. Worship services for Catholic,
Protestant, Jewish and Muslim offenders are provided on a regular basis.
Religious services for inmates of other faiths are provided as needed.
• Approximately 795 individuals volunteer their time, talent and
energies to provide a wide range of religious programs to Delaware's
incarcerated population.
• 97% of all Delaware inmates will eventually be released from
incarceration

As of 2000:
• 123,093 men and 13,290 women between the ages of 18 and 65 were
in jail or prison.
• 70,734 people were in state prisons.
• 48,469 were in local jails.
• 12,380 were incarcerated in federal prisons.
• 4,076 were in military lockups.
• 1,102 people were in halfway houses.
• 5,017 teenage boys and 1,303 girls were housed in juvenile
facilities.
• 1,368 juvenile boys and 87 girls under 18 were incarcerated in
adult lockups.
• 2,387 were behind bars in other types of correctional facilities

Juvenile and Adult Recidivism: The following is the recidivism
rates by age for inmates two years after their release from prison:
• Under 18: 51.3%
• 18-24: 40%
• 25-34: 36%
• 35-49: 30%
• 50-59: 15%
• Over 60: 8.7%
• Total: 33.8%

• Percentage of Georgia's population that is African American: 27
• Percentage of Georgia's prison population that is African American: 68
• Percentage of district attorneys in Georgia's 46 judicial circuits who
are African-American: 2
• Percentage of judges in Georgia's Superior Courts who are
African-American: 10
• Percentage of homicides in Georgia in which the victim is African
American: 65
• Percentage of cases in which executions have been carried out in which
the victim was white: 90

Hawaii is one of only six states in the country that has its jail
functions at the State level. Traditionally, jails are the
responsibility of county government. The Hawaii Department of Public
Safety is responsible for four jails: one on each of the islands of
Oahu, Hawaii, Maui and Kauai.

The Hawaii State Department of Public Safety oversees four prisons.
Three of the prisons are located on the island of Oahu and one on the
island of Hawaii.
Hawaii estimates that of the approximately 6,000 prisoners all but 300
will eventually be released.

• The safe operating capacity of the Department's eight prisons and four
community work centers, along with the state-owned, privately-managed
Idaho Correctional Center, is 5,939 beds.
• Offenders Sentenced to Death 17 (16 males, 1 female)
• The number of juveniles (under age 18) varies, but typically makes up
a very small percentage of the overall offender population. In January
2008, there were two minors under the supervision of Community
Corrections (probation and parole) and six incarcerated minors.
• The average cost per day to house an inmate in Idaho prisons was
$55.84 for fiscal year 2007. The average inmate cost per day at the
community work centers is $37.85 for fiscal year 2007. CWC inmates
pay 30% of their wages to help defray those costs. Their wages reduced
the CWC cost per pay by $10.49 in FY07. The average offender cost per
day for someone on probation or parole is $3.92.
• The Education Bureau of the Idaho Department of Correction operates
prison education programs in seven facilities across the state. Through
the Division of Programs, the Education Bureau serves
approximately 45% of Idaho's inmate population by delivering literacy,
secondary, life skills, and vocational programs. The Robert Janss School
is accredited through the Idaho Department of Education.
• In response to the growing female offender population, Idaho has
developed a Female Offender Coalition, which is guided by the
department's Director of Women's Programs. The Female Offender Coalition
is a team of professionals committed to working with female offenders
and guiding our department in the development of gender-specific
programming.

"C-Numbers" refers to those inmates who were convicted to indeterminate
sentences prior to implementation of determinate sentencing in 1978.
C-numbered inmates periodically appear before members of the Illinois
Prisoner Review Board to plead their case for parole. Other inmates
serve a specific amount of time and are released after serving a
percentage of their sentence.
Inmates are not permitted access to the Internet, nor can they have
personal computers in their cells. Inmates may use computers if their
educational program merits it.

Inmates may receive mail at any time during their incarceration. Write
an inmate as you would anyone else, but remember to put his inmate
number in the proximity of his name on the envelope. Your letter to the
inmate will be opened and searched for contraband. If contraband is
found, we will ask the state’s attorney of your county to prosecute you
to the fullest extent of the law. We are not interested in what you
write the inmate unless it contains plans for his escape or other
illegal activity. Please do not decorate the envelope with stickers. We
strictly enforce the prohibition of stickers since they may be used to
introduce contraband materials. Any document received at a prison that
has stickers attached will be returned.

The Illinois Department of Corrections operates two adult boot camps.
Adult inmates must volunteer before the judge and the placement
recommendation by the judge is reviewed when the inmate is received at
Corrections. Corrections administrators determine who goes to the
juvenile camp. Adults may not have been convicted of a serious crime,
must be between the ages of 18-35 and not have been sentenced to
Corrections more than twice. They cannot have a sentence of more than 8
years. Corrections retains the right to determine who goes to boot camp
based on the nature of the crime and whether the inmate can take the
regimentation both physically and mentally.

Corrections operates 8 work release centers called adult transitional
centers. One of the centers can house female inmates. These centers are
designed to house approximately 1,280 inmates who must work or go to
school and return to the center when not occupied in an approved
activity in the community. Inmates who are within two years of release
and classified as minimum security may apply for placement at an ATC
through their counselor. However, there are approximately 45,000 adults
incarcerated so Corrections is very selective about who is transferred
to ATCs.

• Currently it costs an average of $54.28 per day to keep an adult
inmate incarcerated in the State of Indiana.
• The Department's general fund budget for 2003-2004 is $568.9 million
• The Department's general fund budget for 2004-2005 is $571.0 million
• There are currently 18 offenders under the sentence of death in the
State of Indiana. This includes 17 males housed at the Indiana State
Prison (Michigan City, IN) and one female currently serving a life
sentence at the Ohio Reformatory for Women (Marysville, OH).
• The State Constitution states the penal code shall be founded on the
principles of reformation, and not of vindictive justice. The Department
is required to provide medical and dental services to inmates as well as
access to law libraries and educational programs. However, if an inmate
wants to pursue post secondary education, the cost is the inmate's
responsibility. Idle prisoners would require more supervision and could
be a threat to the security of the facility. Therefore, it is important
to not only provide programming and employment to the inmates, but allow
them recreational time as well. It should be noted that most of the
inmates currently incarcerated will be returning to society, and
hopefully will be prepared when they do so.
• Indiana’s recidivism rate has continually declined for the past 3
consecutive years. IDOC defines recidivism as a return to incarceration
within three years of the offender’s date of release from a state
correctional institution.
• Offenders are not permitted access to the internet, nor can they have
personal computers in their cells. Offenders may use computers if their
educational program merits it in a supervised lab.
• 2008 recidivism rates indicate a decrease for the third
consecutive year. Of those offenders
released in 2005, 37.4% were recommitted to the IDOC within three years
of their release date.
• Male offenders had a higher recidivism rate when compared to female
offenders. Of male
offenders released in 2005, 38.4% returned to the IDOC, versus 31.1% of
female releases.
• The recidivism rate for African American offenders increased from the
prior year to 46.6%, while
recidivism rates for Caucasian offenders decreased to 33.9%.
• The younger the offender is at the time he/she is released, the more
likely they are to return to
the IDOC. Also, offenders serving less than 2 years with IDOC represent
over 80% of all
recidivists.
• Of all offenders who recidivated, nearly 58% returned to IDOC for the
commission of a new
crime, compared to approximately 42% of returns for a technical rule
violation of post-release
supervision.

Juvenile Offenders in the Indiana Department of Corrections:
This study looks at Juvenile offenders released in 2005 and follows the
offender for three years from their release date to determine if the
offender returned to incarceration in either a Juvenile or Adult
Facility:
•
2008 Juvenile Recidivism Rate: 35.9%
• 493 Releases ¦ 536 Returns (273 as a juvenile, 263 as an adult)
• 79.2% of juvenile releases had not been incarcerated in an Adult
facility within 3 years of their 2005 release from a Juvenile
institution
•
Of all juveniles released in 2005, 39.6% of males returned to IDOC,
while only 21.3% of females returned.
•
Approximately 38% of African American juvenile offenders returned to the
Department of Correction, a higher rate than any other race or
ethnicity.
•
Nearly 71% of juveniles who recidivated were returned to IDOC for the
commission of a new crime, compared to 29% of returns which were for a
technical violation of post-release supervision.

Adult Offenders in the Indiana Department of Corrections:Number of adult institutions: 21
Total Population 28,427*
Average per diem (FY09) $53.96**
*Includes inmates held in county jails and contract beds
**Per Diem had
yet to be approved by State Board of Accounts at time of printing
•
Adult Education programs in 15 of the Department’s facilities.
• Total population at those facilities on 01 Jul 09: 25,219

Offender educational status as of 01 Jul 09:
• 34% Illiterate
• 57% GED or high school diploma
• 9% At least one college degree

•
Iowa Department of Corrections
•
As of 8/30/2009 there are 8,352 inmates.
•
The housing capacity is 7,414 inmates.
•
There are 637 inmates in Med/Seg.
•
The overcrowding rate is 13%.
•
434 inmates are on work release.
•
170 inmates are on OWI Continuum.
•
55 inmates are OSC.
•
40 inmates are Out-Of-State.
•
The complete total of inmates in the state system is 9,051.

• The total rated capacity of local jails at midyear 2007 reached
813,502 beds, up from an estimated 677,787 beds at midyear 2000.
• At midyear 2007, jail jurisdictions (173) with an average daily jail
population of 1,000 or more inmates accounted for about 6% of all jail
jurisdictions and about 52% of the jail inmate population.
• At midyear 2007, the 50 largest jail jurisdictions held about 29% (or
227,901 inmates) of the nation’s jail population.

2006

• On June 30, 2006, an estimated 4.8% of black men were in prison or
jail, compared to 1.9% of Hispanic men and 0.7% of white men.
• For the 12 months ending June 30, 2006, State systems reported a
larger increase than the Federal system in the number of inmates housed
in private prisons.
• Between July 1, 2005 and June 30, 2006, the number of persons
held in local jails increased 2.5% to reach 766,010 inmates, the lowest
growth since the 1.6% increase in mid-year 2001
•
27% of Federal inmates are non-US citizens.
•
The average age of a Federal inmate in Bureau custody is 38.
•
19% of inmates are housed in Minimum Security Federal Institutions,
compared to 39% in Low Security, 27 in Medium Security, and 11% in High
Security.
•
Females account for 7% of the Federal inmate population.
•
54% of inmates in Bureau custody are drug offenders.
•
The most common length for a Federal inmate's sentence is 5 - 10 years.
•
There are more Federal inmates (3.1%) sentenced to Life than sentenced
to less that a year (1.6%)
•
56% of Federal inmates are white.
•
By inmate population, the largest BOP Facility is Brooklyn MDC in New
York with 2,397 inmates, and the largest Privately Managed Facility is
Big Sandy CI in Texas with 2,826 inmates.

2005

• From midyear 2004 to midyear 2005, the number of inmates in custody in
local jails rose by 33,539; in State prison by 15,858; and Federal
prison by 6,584.
• On June 30, 2005, a total of 2,266 State prisoners were under age 18.
Adult jails held a total of 6,759 persons under age 18.
• An estimated 12% of black males, 3.7% of Hispanic males, and 1.7% of
white males in their late twenties were in prison or jail
•
Over 7 million people were on probation, in jail or prison, or on
parole. That’s 3.2% of all U.S. adult residents, or 1 in every 32
adults.
•
There were an estimated 491 prison inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents.
This number is up from 411 at yearend 1995.
•
The number of women under the jurisdiction of State or Federal prison
authorities increased 2.6% from 2004, reaching 107,518. The number of
men rose 1.9%, totaling 1,418,406.
•
There were 3,145 black male sentenced prison inmates per 100,000 black
males in the United States, compared to 1,244 Hispanic male inmates per
100,000 Hispanic males and 471 white male inmates per 100,000 white
males.
•
60 inmates were executed in 16 states, 1 more than in 2004. Of those, 59
were males, 1 female; 41 were white and 19 were black. Texas performed
19 executions; 5 each in Indiana , Missouri , and North Carolina ; 4
each in Ohio , Alabama , and Oklahoma ; 3 each in Georgia and South
Carolina ; 2 in California ; and 1 each in Connecticut , Arkansas ,
Delaware , Florida , Maryland , and Mississippi .
•
The Federal prison system held 3,254 prisoners in 36 States under a
death sentence
•
Since the death penalty was reinstated by the Supreme Court in 1976,
white inmates have made up more than half of the number under sentence
of death.

2004

• The Nation's prisons and jails incarcerated over 2.1 million persons.
• In both jails and prisons, there were 123 female inmates per 100,000
women in the United States, compared to 1,348 male inmates per 100,000
men.
• A total of 2,477 State prisoners were under age 18.
• The number of inmates in custody in local jails rose by 22,689; in
State prison by 15,375; and in Federal prison by 10,095.

2003

• Prison population increased by 40,983, the largest increase in 4 years
• At midyear 2003, a total of 3,006 State prisoners were under age 18.
Adult jails held a total of 6,869 persons under age 18.
• Local jails were operating 6% below their rated capacity. In contrast,
at yearend 2002 State prisons were operating 1% and 17% above capacity,
and Federal prisons were 33% about their rate capacity.
• In the year ending June 30, 2003, the smaller State prison systems had
the greatest percentage increase: Vermont (up 12.2%), Minnesota (up
9.4%), and Maine (up 9.1%).
•
2,078,570 prisoners were held in Federal or State prisons or in local
jails.
•
The total increased 2.9% from midyear 2002, less than the average annual
growth of 3.7% since yearend 1995.
•
There were an estimated 480 prison inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents -
up from 411 at yearend 1995.
•
The number of women under the jurisdiction of State or Federal prison
authorities increased 5.0% from June 30, 2002 to June 30, 2003, reaching
100,102.
•
The number of men rose 2.7%, totaling 1,360,818 at midyear 2003.
•
At midyear 2003 there were 4,834 black male prisoners per 100,000 black
males in the United States in prison or jail, compared to 1,778 Hispanic
male inmates per 100,000 Hispanic males and 681 white male inmates per
100,000 white males.
•
Between 1995 and 2001, the increasing number of violent offenders
accounted for 63% of the total growth of the State prison population;
15% of the total growth was attributable to the increasing number of
drug offenders.
•
There are 98 Federal Prisons in the U.S.
•
There are approximately 150,000 prisoners incarcerated in federal
prisons.
•
Approximately 92% are male; approximately 8% are female.
•
Average inmate age is 37.
•
Approximately 70% of the federal prison population are citizens of the
U.S.
•
Drug offenses (58%) constitute the majority of offenses for which
prisoners were convicted.
•
Approximately 58% of the inmates are white.

2002

• In the year ending June 30, 2002, the number of inmates in custody in
local jails rose by 34,235; in State prison by 12,440; and in Federal
prison by 8,042.
• At midyear 2002, a total of 3,055 State prisoners were under age 18.
Adult jails held a total of 7,248 persons under age 18.
• At midyear 2002, there were 113 female inmates per 100,000 women in
the United States, compared to 1,309 male inmates per 100,000 men.

2001
• 6-month growth rates for State prisons have dropped sharply since
1995.
• Privately operated prison facilities held 94,948 inmates (up 4.0%
since yearend 2000).
• The number of inmates held in jail rose by 10,091, in State prison by
10,954, and in Federal prison by 9,245.

2000

• The rate of incarceration increased from 1 in every 218 U.S. residents
to 1 in every 142.
• State, Federal, and local governments had to accommodate an additional
82,438 inmates per year (or the equivalent of 1,585 new inmates per
week). In the year ending June 30, 2000 --
• The number of inmates held in jail rose by 15,206, in State prison by
27,953, and in Federal prison by 13,501.

1999

• The rate of incarceration increased from 1 in every 218 U.S. residents
to 1 in every 147.
• State, Federal, and local governments had to accommodate an additional
83,743 inmates per year (or the equivalent of 1,610 new inmates per
week). In the year ending June 30, 1999
• The number of inmates held in jail rose by 13,481, in State prison by
34,238, and in Federal prison by 10,614. The rate of increase was the
lowest since 1979 (prisons) and 1996 (jails).